The genome represents the entire complement of DNA in a cell. The Human Genome Project is the determination of the entire nucleotide sequence of all 3 billion + bases of DNA within the nucleus of a human cell. It is one of the greatest scientific undertakings in the history of mankind. The first draft of the human genome sequence was completed in the year 2001 and published simultaneously in the British journal Nature and the American journal Science.

The data obtained from sequencing the human genome promise to bring unprecedented scientific rewards in the discovery of disease-causing genes, in the design of new drugs, in understanding developmental processes and cancer, and in determining the origin and evolution of the human race. The Human Genome Project has also raised many social and ethical issues with regard to the use of such information.